


Deja Vu

by Zady



Category: Merlin (TV), iZombie (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-22
Updated: 2015-05-22
Packaged: 2018-03-31 17:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3986287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zady/pseuds/Zady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin is shocked when he runs into Lowell, a man who strangely reminds him of the lost King Arthur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Deja Vu

 

Merlin had never given up, not really. But still. It had been thousands of years since the death of his best friend and the ‘time of need’ that had been promised still hadn’t arisen.

But Merlin was still here. He was living proof that his friend would be coming back. One day, some day.

Arthur would return. He had to.

Camelot could be found nowhere in particular, and everywhere. So Merlin figured that it wouldn’t hurt to visit the country that was now known as America. After all, Merlin would be able to sense when Arthur was back.

_If he came back_ , a nagging part of his mind remarked.

He immediately quashed the thought and resolutely set off for the ‘land of the free’. He hoped it could free his restless mind.

 

In all the thousands of years Merlin had been alive, he’d been searching. Arthur would return and when he did, Merlin could explain _everything_.

Every time he saw someone who looked even slightly like his friend his heart would leap into his throat, but the moment would pass as Merlin realised that the similarities weren’t that great and his mind was just playing tricks on him. It wasn’t madness, just desperation.

At first it was bad. He’d more than once been punched for approaching strangers in an almost manic manner, asking them over and over again if they were him. Over time he had gotten more used to seeing these doppelgängers but he still looked curiously at each one with hope before realising, he would _know_.

So this time when he saw a man buying chilli sauce in a grocery store he barely batted an eyelid. The man hadn’t seen him yet so Merlin studied him, looking for any hint of resemblance he instinctually felt.

He was very pale, he almost looked like a corpse. And his hair; it was a dark brown, unlike Arthur’s lighter coloured hair. But still, he was the same height. His build was roughly the same and Merlin even thought that the face shape was similar.

Merlin shook his head sadly, clearing it of the image. Over time it had become harder and harder for him to remember what Arthur actually looked like. Sketches done by court artists at the time couldn’t quite capture the real person. For all he knew this man was nothing like the real Arthur.

Absentmindedly Merlin picked up a box of cereal bars and made his way to the checkout. He stood behind the man, still curiously examining the stranger. As he did, a strange headache began to throb behind his temples.

_That was odd_ , Merlin thought, he had never been sick through natural means a day in his life.

“Thank you,” the man who looked like Arthur remarked.

Merlin halted, shocked. He even sounded like Arthur.

The man turned around briefly, and managed to catch a glimpse of Merlin who was standing frozen.

The moment they made eye contact, spots flared in Merlin’s vision. He doubled over, his hand to his forehead in pain as a splitting headache took him over.

“Are you all r-“

The man dropped the groceries.

Instinctively Merlin bent down to help pick them up, a habit that was long ingrained in his behaviour.

“No. Sorry. You don’t have to do that.” The man bent down to help. “I just thought I knew you from somewhere.”

“That’s ok,” Merlin joked. “It happens often enough.” His headache had eased off but still lurked in the background.

“I’m sorry,” the man remarked. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“It’s uh…”

“I’m Lowell,” Lowell offered up.

“Arthur,” Merlin said. It was a name common enough in this time and he was looking for a reaction in Lowell.

To his surprise Lowell nearly dropped his groceries again.

“Hey could you hurry up over there?” A middle age man called from the queue.

“Sorry,” Merlin muttered. He quickly paid and left the shop, Lowell following.

“It’s funny,” Merlin said to Lowell. “You also look like someone that I used to know. But that’s impossible.”

“Why is that?” Lowell asked curiously.

“Because… he’s dead. A long time ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

Merlin nodded. “Well, I better be off. Things to do, people to see.”

“Are you sure you should be wandering the city alone? An old man like you in a place like this. Maybe I should walk you home.” _So you don’t get attacked by zombies_ , Lowell added mentally.

“I can protect myself.”

The two eyed each other, both thinking the same thing. _Is he who I think he is?_ Neither of them however wanted to make the first move.

The silence hung awkwardly in the air for a moment. Lowell finally decided to break it by saying, “Well… I guess I’ll see you-“

Merlin nodded in agreement, hardly listening.

 “-around.” Lowell paused briefly, carefully considering. “Merlin.”

Merlin looked stunned at the sound of his name. No one had called him that for many a year. “Arthur!?”

“It is you! I knew it,” Arthur said triumphantly.

“But…” Merlin said weakly, “What? How could you be here? Alive?”

“I’m not quite sure. I woke up, confused and disorientated. A guy named Blaine told me he’d found me washed up on a beach. He told me I was lucky to be alive.”

“But… the dragon told me you would return. And when you did I would know.”

Arthur shifted uncomfortably. “What is it?”

“Well… I’m not exactly back. Not entirely.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m dead. Well, undead if you want to be technical.” Merlin was still gaping at him so Arthur added, “I’m a zombie.”

“A zombie?”

Arthur nodded.

“How is that even possible? Zombies don’t exist.”

“And pray tell, what else doesn’t exist? Things I should know about, I don’t doubt. Things you never told me.”

“I’m sorry,” Merlin said honestly. “I wanted to tell you, I really did. It just never seemed to be the right time.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “I am your king. You should have told me.”

“Ah yes, but you are no longer my king are you? You’re just plain old Lowell.”

“Of course I had to change my name. King Arthur sounds a bit pretentious don’t you think, not to mention totally made up. How long has it been since you were called Merlin? I know of the legends. Totally embarrassing if you asked me. How did I not see that you were a sorcerer? For years you were my servant and yet I never figured it out. Hell you gave it away so many times. You even told my father that you were a sorcerer to save Gwen.” _Gwen_. He hadn’t thought about her in years. The memory was too painful.

“Arthur-“

“No. I don’t want to hear it.”

“Arthur you were meant to return in a time of great need. What’s going on?” Then a thought occurred to Merlin. “You… you eat brains?”

Arthur cast his eyes down. “Yes.”

“Whose?”

Arthur didn’t want to answer. Merlin stood silently, waiting him out.

“The guy Blaine I mentioned? He supplies me. It was sort of a don’t ask don’t tell type policy but then the visions got so bad-“

“Visions?”

Arthur nodded. “As a zombie we can see what the person we ate saw, if a memory is triggered.” He paused. “They all died horrific deaths. Murdered kids.” His voice broke. “I ate them. They were real living people. Liv.” He was almost whispering.s

“Live?”

“Yes, Liv. My girlfriend. I have to apologise.”

“Hang on. You have a girlfriend?”

“Yes. She’s also a zombie. And hot. We had a huge fight. She couldn’t understand why I didn’t care where I got my brains from. I couldn’t understand why it was such a big deal. We all have to eat, of course she just has the luxury of choosing from a buffet of people already dead. She’s a mortician,” he said in answer to Merlin’s quizzical look. “I’ve got to go.”

“Arthur!”

“Look, I’ll catch up with you later, I just really have to go.”

Merlin quickly muttered a spell. It would allow him to find Arthur later, but for now he let him go. He watch as Arthur jogged through the city, the sun just beginning to set. Merlin turned and walked in the opposite direction, deep in thought. His headache gradually receded with every pace that separated him from Arthur. _So that’s why I couldn’t sense him. He’s still dead._

 

“Arthur? Lowell?” Merlin knocked on the door of the last place Arthur had been. This must be where he lived now. A downgrade from a castle, but then again an upgrade from the type of places Merlin had been living recently.

His eyes glowed and the door clicked open. Merlin was very hesitant about accidently walking in on Arthur and Liv.

He heard voices coming from the outdoor area. “I’ll just go get it,” Arthur called to someone.

Merlin watched as Arthur came inside, quickly sent off a text, grabbed a guitar, and headed back outside.

Merlin followed his progress silently outside. He could hear an indistinct chatting between Arthur and an equally pale man with hair that was almost white. Another zombie he assumed.

Arthur was behaving oddly, that much Merlin could tell. But the why was still unknown.

Suddenly Arthur swung. White hair was faster however, and Arthur sunk the weapon into the white haired guy’s arm. Within a second, white hair had aimed a gun right at Arthur’s head and fired.

“NO!”

Merlin raced over to Arthur, briefly taking a moment to fling a wall of power at white hair, knocking him unconscious. _Not again. Please God not again._

Arthur’s eyes briefly locked on Merlin’s before glazing over. Merlin grasped for a pulse while sending his magic through Arthur. He instantly recoiled, sensing the ugly death inside of him. He didn’t think it was possible to heal someone who was technically still dead. But it was too late. Arthur was gone.

But this time, there was no coming back. Not even the dead could survive a close range head shot.

Merlin could feel the fast pounding of his own heart. If Arthur was gone he supposed there would be no need from him to hang around in this world.

His breaths were short and ragged. This was it. This was what dying felt like. He staggered back into the apartment and walked into the bedroom. Through his fuzzy consciousness he heard a woman’s cry of agony and the scream of “Lowell!” before heavy silence filled the air.

He supposed white hair must have vanished. Either that or he had killed the woman too. Merlin would never find out though, as he lay back on the floor and closed his eyes.

  

 

 


End file.
